Last Wara brother lifts Oshkosh

Nate Wara is the last of his
brothers to play football at UW-Oshkosh and has helped the Titans
have the most success. Photo by Larry Radloff, csssaints.comMore photos like this

By Andrew Wagner
for D3sports.com

OSHKOSH, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh had
accomplished very little in the sport of football in the decades
before Nate Wara arrived on campus, but nonetheless, Wara had some
big shoes to fill, even before taking his first snap as the
Titans’ quarterback.

Wara is the fourth member of his family to wear the
Titans’ black and gold, following his oldest brother, Nick,
who was Oshkosh’s quarterback from 2001-04. Josh Wara was a
safety for the Titans while Justin played receiver.

“Yeah ... We’ve been here for a while,” Wara
said with a laugh earlier this season.

The three Wara boys – and their sister – knew early
on that there was something special about Nate, whose competitive
nature was apparent from an early age.

“He works extremely hard,” said Nick Wara.
“He’s always been ultra-competitive and the kind of
person that pushes everyone around him to work as hard as he
does.”

Despite the family tradition, Wara wasn’t sure he’d
stay in town after playing four years at Oshkosh North High School
where he threw for 3,075 yards and 28 touchdowns in three seasons
as a starter.

After leading the Spartans to an 8-3 record as a junior,
averaging 134 passing and 59 rushing yards per game, he threw for
1,404 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior, attracting interest from
some Division II schools, including North Dakota State (since moved
to Division I FCS) and Mankato State in Minnesota.

He also briefly considered walking on at Wisconsin.

Wara’s brothers stayed out of the recruiting process,
offering input when asked, but tried not to steer him in any
direction.

“We wanted him to make his own decision,” Nick Wara
said. “We gave him our feedback if he asked, but we wanted
Nate to make decision that was best for him.”

The decision turned out to be Oshkosh and Cerroni, then entering
his third season at the helm and spent the previous six as
defensive coordinator, couldn’t have been happier.

The Titans struggled during Wara’s first two seasons,
posting consecutive 4-6 records while going a combined 5-9 in the
WIAC. But behind Wara’s 1,838 passing yards and 18 touchdown
throws, Oshkosh finished 7-3 overall last season while going 5-2 in
the league to finish second in the conference.

“We were a .500 ball club and begging him to stay with us,
stick with the plan and trust us that it will work out," Cerroni
said. "Two years ago, that was a hard sell. That’s the most
gratifying thing. You make those claims behind closed doors and now
you’re seeing it come through.”

With 1,284 yards rushing this
season, junior Cole Myhra, above, has taken some carries away from
Nate Wara, who used to run more often earlier in his career. Photo by Larry Radloff, csssaints.com

While the Titans were experiencing growing pains on the field,
Wara was growing – mentally and physically – off the
field. Where Wara was a football player when he arrived on campus,
he admitted there was still plenty to learn.

“I guess you could say I’ve learned the game of
football,” Wara said. “These coaches have taught me a
lot.”

Wara has full command of the Titans’ offense, the
10th-best unit in the nation this season entering the playoffs. A
dual-threat quarterback, Wara is just as dangerous with his feet as
he is with his arm and though the coaches have given him freedom to
make decisions on the fly, he's mature enough now to know when to
run and when to stay put.

"If I see a hole, I’ll take it," Wara said. "The coaches
give me the freedom to check out of a few things and if it’s
wide open, I’ll take off. But if it’s not something
consistent, I’ll stay with it."

During the regular season, Wara completed 166 of 252 attempts
(65.9 percent) for 2,389 yards with 22 touchdowns and just one
interception; good for a 173.5 passer rating, the seventh-best in
all of Division III.

In his four years at Oshkosh, Wara has made 41 consecutive
starts, throwing for 8,146 yards (second in school history) and 75
touchdowns (sixth in school history) and he entered the postseason
with a career passer rating of 147.9, setting a program record.

He’s written his way into the WIAC record books as well,
entering the playoffs among the all-time top ten in completions
(fifth, 678), touchdowns (fifth), passing yards (ninth), pass
attempts (tenth, 1,047) and passer rating (third).

“He’s just an outstanding quarterback,”
UW-Whitewater coach Lance Leipold said. “He’s a
difference-maker whether he’s throwing or running but his
strength and ability to keep plays alive and either take off on his
own or put the ball right on the money, it’s what makes that
offense go.”

Nate Wara ran for a
season-high 128 yards Saturday in UWO's win against St.
Scholastica. Photo by Larry Radloff, csssaints.com

Wara was also a threat with his feet, rushing 129 times for 561
yards and seven touchdowns, leading his team to a perfect 10-0
record and their first WIAC championship since 1976. He then added
12 carries for 128 yards in a first-round playoff win.

His maturity was readily evident in the Titans’ upset of
then-No. 5 UW-Whitewater. After jumping out to a 21-0 lead, Wara
kept his team on task as the Warhawks rallied back in the third
quarter and forced the Titans into a string of frustrating
three-and-outs.

“Maybe a younger Nate might have panicked a bit or
complained a little, but older and wiser, he’s been through
it before,” Cerroni said.

Wara was steady and calm in the huddle and on the sideline and
stomped out any hope of a Whitewater comeback midway through the
fourth quarter when he connected with Cory Wipperfurth on a 40-yard
strike, setting the stage for Cole Myhra’s 1-yard touchdown
run that made it a 28-13 game with just under 7 minutes to
play.

“It’s my job to keep them up,” Wara said.
“I can’t be yelling at them. I have to stay calm and
when things go bad, I can’t just yell and scream about it. We
knew they were going to come out and hit us in the mouth. But we
just had to keep going with it and do what we do.”

His performance against the Warhawks, winners of the last three
national championships, left Leipold impressed.

“That was his experience showing,” Leipold said.
“He’s been through the league. He’s gone against
good teams. You can just tell he’s got that ‘it’
factor; that moxie as a quarterback.”

A week later at UW-La Crosse, where Oshkosh hadn’t won
since the Lyndon Johnson administration, Wara was superb again,
completing 20 of 30 passes for 369 yards and four touchdowns in the
Titans’ 41-7 victory.

“He’s the best quarterback I’ve ever
seen,” said senior receiver Caleb Voss, who led the team with
44 receptions, 908 yards and nine touchdowns. “He makes the
most out of every play”

Watching Wara play has been a treat for Cerroni, who said
he’s encouraged his coaches to take time to appreciate
Wara’s abilities and natural talents. With the playoffs
continuing Saturday against Bethel, there will be at least one more
chance.

“I haven’t gone back to the bench to talk to the
defense much because I want to stand there on the sideline and
watch him play,” Cerroni said. “I know how special he
is. You get one of those guys once in your career. I’m happy
for him.”